Persistent Ticks
by Penaime
Summary: Klaine AU in which Blaine discovers a lump. Is it cancer? And how does he tell Kurt?
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Persistent Ticks**  
>Pairing: <strong>Kurt/Blaine**  
>Rating: <strong>PG-13, just to be safe.  
><strong>Beta: <strong>fuckinggameofchess tumblr com

**Summary: **Blaine discovers a lump. Is it cancer? And how does he tell Kurt?

**Author's note: **Begins during On My Way, right before Blaine sings Cough Syrup.

**Chapter 1**

Blaine paced the stage, punching his fist repeatedly into his palm. He was aware of the band sitting behind him, silently watching him, and he wondered if they knew something was wrong. Something much bigger than Kurt being a few minutes late.

He'd found the lump weeks ago. Small, round, covered in tiny blood vessels. Too small to be harmful, surely, but his Dad had insisted on a hospital visit. Just to check it out, he'd said. Just to be sure, he'd said.

Just to see if you're dying.

Blaine adjusted his bow tie, swallowing the lump in his throat. _You're being silly_, he told himself. _Cancer's perfectly curable these days. Especially skin cancer. _

_Unless it's Melanoma._

He clamped his hands to the side of his head, willing the voice inside his head to shut up. He'd stupidly googled skin cancer, hoping that if he understood more about it then it wouldn't seem so frightening. As always, the worst case scenario frequented his mind. His lowered his hands and began pacing again. The guitarist shared a look with the drummer, then opened his mouth to say something when-

"Are you okay?" Blaine's head snapped up to see Kurt strolling in. "You seemed upset."

_Well, of course I'm upset._

"Look, Sebastian is-"

"Forget about Sebastian!" Blaine snapped. This wasn't about Sebastian, it was about him. And Kurt. And his life. He definitely didn't want that scumbag having anything to do with this, not after what he did. Not after what he tried to do to Kurt. Kurt blinked, taken aback. "I'm not mad at you, I just don't want to waste any more time on him." _Funny_, he thought, _how time is so expendable until it's limited. Then it's the most precious thing in world. _"I want to… focus on winning. I've got a new song I want to try out. The theme for Regionals is 'inspiration', and I think this fits the bill. You want to hear it?"

"_Life's too short to even care at all,  
>I'm losing my mind losing my mind losing control."<em>

He'd found the song quite a long time ago, but since the hospital visit he'd been listening to it more and more. Having a song to learn had been helping to take his mind off things. It reminded him that he could be happy without following the regular conventions that other people – namely his father – had set out in front of him. And even if things got him down, there was always a way out.

"_I'm coming up now coming up now out of the blue." _

Blaine glanced at Kurt - perched on a stool, hands folded neatly in his lap – and smiled. Things had been going really well lately. Much better than they had been in a long time, even with the slushie fiasco. The song mentioned a fortune that the singer should've found by now. Funny, how Blaine could be so young, and have found his already. Cruel, how he could be so young, and have everything crumble.

"_So I run now to the things they said could restore me  
>Restore life the way it should be<br>I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down."_

_If only_, Blaine thought. _If only something as simple as running could make things better._ The song rolled to a close, and for the first time Blaine realised how hard he'd been gripping the microphone stand. As he looked at his white-knuckled hands he heard Kurt begin to applaud. Kurt stood and walked towards the centre of the stage.

"Magnificent as always," he said with a smile, then turned to the band. "Could you give us a moment?"

"Thanks guys, you were great," Blaine said as they stepped away from their instruments. "We've got Regionals in the bag." Kurt watched them leave, waiting until the door closed behind them before taking Blaine's hands in his. The auditorium seemed so big, so empty and quiet, like without Blaine's voice filling the air and bouncing off the walls there was nothing.

Kurt knew something was going on, something that Blaine wasn't telling him about. He'd seen Blaine develop little nervous habits – the way he'd tug at his sweater; the perpetual twisting and turning of his hands; the far off look in his eyes like he was seeing something that hurt him.

So far, Kurt had put it down to the mess with Sebastian. Sure, it must be hard to walk halls filled with people known to throw the occasional slushie in the face of Glee club members, especially after what Blaine went through. But the sudden flares of temper, singing about suicide… Hell, Blaine had even worn that same bow tie two Friday's in a row. But mostly the song.

"Blaine… Why did you sing me that song?" Kurt asked, his voice soft in the silence.

Blaine frowned. "Like I said, Regionals is coming up-"

"Honey, don't lie to me, we both know this is about something much bigger than Regionals."

The two of them looked at each other for little while, reading each other. Blaine tried hard to mask his panic, wondered if Kurt could hear his heartbeat anywhere near as loud as it was in his ears. _He doesn't know_, Blaine assured himself, _he can't possibly know. _

"It's always a little bit worrying when a guy sings a suicide song to his boyfriend," Kurt said, trying to smile, but he couldn't lift the weight on his shoulders.

"No," Blaine said quickly. "No, of course, God, how could I be so…" _Of course he'd think that._ In fact, the more Blaine thought about it the more the song seemed about suicide. Suddenly 'life's too short to even care at all' sounded defeated and broken, not liberating. He'd noticed before, but those parts of the song didn't stand out to him as much. He didn't want to die, that was the whole problem. But… maybe…

Blaine figured it was comforting, really, that he _could_ escape, if he wanted to. If things got real bad, he didn't have to let cancer kill him. It didn't have to be slow; Kurt didn't have to watch him deteriorate.

"I didn't mean it like that, Kurt, I promise." Which was true, technically. He hadn't meant that. "You know I wouldn't do that. I just... I guess I've been feeling a bit down lately, you know with the surgery and… I haven't really told you about this but…" Blaine bit his lip. It would be so easy to just say it, let it out, but no, now was not the time. "I've just been having some trouble with Dad lately. Nothing major it's just… hard, you know? But, on the bright side, Mom and Dad are going away next weekend, so that's some time off to look forward to."

Kurt studied Blaine's face for a few seconds, frowning slightly. He knew Blaine well enough by now to know when he was trying to change the subject. Kurt knew that wasn't it; father issues were nothing new. But Kurt nodded, resigning to the fact he wouldn't be getting any more out of Blaine for now, and put his arms around Blaine's shoulders. "All weekend?"

"Yep," Blaine replied with a smug little smile.

Kurt leant forward and kissed Blaine gently. "How about I come and keep you company?" _And keep an eye on you,_ Kurt thought. He was still worried, more so than ever, but the weekend seemed like a blessing. Now he'd know exactly what Blaine was doing, and know for damn sure that he was okay.

The double doors to their right burst open and Mr Schuester crashed to a halt, speaking quickly. "Kurt, Blaine, there's been an accident. Well, not an accident, but, emergency Glee club meeting."


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Persistent Ticks**  
>Pairing: <strong>Kurt/Blaine**  
>Rating: <strong>PG-13, just to be safe.

Summary:

Blaine discovers a lump. Is it cancer? And how does he tell Kurt?

**Chapter 2**

Blaine had been spending far too much time at the hospital lately. First Karofsky – Blaine didn't really know him, but he came with Kurt, for support. Then Quinn, whom he did know, and whom it was so hard to see all cut up and white. The residual images of her in her hospital bed kept Blaine from telling Kurt anything. If it's that hard to see a friend on the brink of death, how could anyone handle seeing their boyfriend there? Even Kurt? Especially Kurt.

And now it was Blaine's turn. He was stuck in a waiting room, absent-mindedly flicking through a National Geographic, ears pricking up every time another static-fused announcement came over the intercom. His mom was over by the vending machines in the corner, waiting for an old man with shaving foam on his neck to dislodge a plastic coffee cup from the stack. Someone drummed their fingers on the arm of their chair. Something threw a magazine back on top of the pile. Someone scribbled out the Sudoku puzzle they'd been working on. Blaine picked at the stuffing in his chair.

All waiting.

Waiting.

A clock above the door ticked persistently.

A hiss of static came over the intercom. "_Charles Linwood to room 2B._"

The old man with the shaving foam abandoned his quest for a single cup and headed out of the door, under the clock. Mrs Anderson poured herself a coffee and returned to Blaine, sinking into the seat beside his.

"Don't look so worried, so sweetheart." She said softly.

"I'm not."

"You've leafed through that entire magazine three times. And there's a pile of stuffing on the floor that's earning you some pretty dirty looks from that receptionist." She pointed to a rather neat and angry looking woman sat behind a desk who was, indeed, scowling in their direction. "It's probably nothing, okay?" She said, trying to sound convinced, as she put her arm around her son's shoulders. "People find lumps all the time, it doesn't mean it's cancer. And if- and that's a big 'if' – it _is_ something to worry about, then we've found it, and there are things doctors can do these days that-"

"Cancer?" A voice behind them interrupted. Blaine turned around to see a broad figure, just come in through another set of doors.

"Finn? What are you doing here?" Blaine asked, rising to his feet.

"I thought I'd get a coffee, Rachel's visiting Quinn, I… Cancer, Blaine?" Finn's forehead creased, a kind of sympathetic confusion in his eyes.

"_Blaine Anderson to room 4a."_

_Oh, thank God for that, _Blaine thought. "Look, it's probably nothing, don't worry about it. I'll see you later."

* * *

><p>Blaine hurried out of room 4a, his hand on his side, and ran right into Finn's chest.<p>

The nurse had practically taken an apple corer and gouged a chunk out of his skin, and now his side, the site of the lump, was stinging stubbornly.

"I'll wait for you in the car," Mrs Anderson said, smiling politely, pulling the keys out of her purse and heading back through the waiting room.

"I just…" Finn paused, then sighed. "Kurt doesn't know does he?"

Blaine shook his head. _Of course he doesn't know, _Blaine thought. _If he knew, he wouldn't let me out of his sight. He'd have me tucked up in bed and he'd be reading aloud to me and holding my hand _all the time_ and everything would be a little less terrible and just a bit more manageable._

"Well you have to tell him, you can't keep something like that a secret, honesty-"

"You think I don't know that? You think that's not the only goddamn thing I can think about?" Blaine caught himself, paused for a second, swallowed hard, and began again, calmly this time. "I know I should tell him, Finn, but I can't. Because he's Kurt, and Kurt worries. And I can't put him through that, I just can't."

"But-"

"No, there's nothing else to it. He's lost his mom, he nearly lost his dad and then I was nearly blinded. He blames himself for what Karofsky did and now Quinn's in here too." He was speaking too fast, unable to look Finn in the eye, gesturing wildly with his hands. "That boy doesn't need any more trips to the hospital, he doesn't need to be pulled out of any more lessons and told something terrible has happened. I can't… I can't put him through anything else. Especially not until I know for damn sure there's something to worry about."

Finn looked at Blaine for a while, until Blaine began to wonder if he could just leave, then said, "I'm glad he has someone like you. He deserves someone who cares that much about him. Just… don't make decisions for him, okay? I know you may think you're protecting him, but be careful. Keeping him in the dark could very quickly become something that hurts him."

"Yeah," Blaine replied, little more than a whisper.

As he headed out to meet his mom in the parking lot, Blaine thought about how Cough Syrup so often has a bad taste, and that it's only when you've swallowed it that it makes you feel better. He began to understand that once he got through this, things could get better. There were two ways through. One; he would be back here in a few days, and the doctors would tell him he was fine, that there was never any cancer. Kurt wouldn't have to know a thing.

Two; he would be back here in a few days, and the doctors would tell him his body was slowly killing itself. And Kurt would have to know then.

Only the persistent ticks of time would tell.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Persistent Ticks**  
>Pairing: <strong>Kurt/Blaine**  
>Rating: <strong>PG-13, just to be safe.

**Summary: **Blaine discovers a lump. Is it cancer? And how does he tell Kurt?

**Author's note: **I'm aware these are getting progressively smaller, but I'll try to make the next one longer. Also, thanks to HB for beta reading for me.

**Chapter 3**

"Kurt, Blaine's here!" Finn Hudson yelled over his shoulder as Blaine stepped into the Hummel-Hudson household.

"Give me a minute!" Kurt's voice called back as Blaine closed the front door behind him. He could hear the sounds of a baseball game drifting in from the living room, the faint hiss of Burt opening a can of something.

"I thought you were supposed to be here a half hour ago." Finn said, frowning slightly.

"I-…" _Oh why the hell not,_ Blaine thought, _he already knows enough. _"I got called into the hospital. They got my results back."

"And?"

Blaine had been called to a different hospital room from before. He'd sat in front of a desk, his parents on either side of him, his mom gripping his hand a little too hard, watching a doctor as he perched on the edge of his desk.

"Sorry to call you in on such short notice, but we just received the results from the lab and thought we'd give you the news right away. Now, some of it's good; some of it's bad." The doctor folded his hands together on his lap, his face blank. "I'm sorry, Mr Anderson, but it's cancer."

Finn's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. "Oh, I… I'm sorry, dude."

"Actually, I think it's okay. They said it's really curable." Blaine said, nodding, trying to seem convinced. An image of his mom flashed into his mind – her hand clamped over her mouth; her eyes glazing over as she shook her head; her trembling shoulders; her tears staining her cheeks with mascara. He'd felt on the verge of tears for days, but when the news came he couldn't cry, because crying was weak, because as much as his mom wept on one side of him, his dad was sat at the other, face frozen into a steely expression.

He felt trapped, heavy, as though he could feel cancer in his veins, under his skin, in the backs of his eyes, weighing him down just like the sobs that he couldn't let out. Like his life supported the death that crept after it from his own body. He was too young. Parents weren't supposed to see their children die.

"_There are three types of skin cancer,"_ the doctor had explained_. "The type you have is called Basal Cell Carcinoma, which is the most common and the most treatable. In fact, treatment is more than 90% effective. The cancer is very accessible, only on the surface of your skin, so we can just cut it straight out and you'll most likely be fine after that."_

"I have an appointment on Sunday, to get it removed." Blaine told Finn, and at that moment Kurt bounded up the staircase, his hair perfectly coiffed.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" he asked, his voice light and cheerful. A fragment of a song popped into Blaine's head, so suddenly it almost slipped straight out of his mouth. _A dark world aches for a splash in the sun. _

"Nothing really, I was just wondering who was playing," Blaine said, gesturing towards the TV in the front room, pulling a warm smile onto his face. "You ready to go?"

"Yep, all set," Kurt tapped his satchel, stuffed with everything he thought he'd need for the night, and the two headed towards the front door.

Blaine glanced over his shoulder and caught just a glimpse of Finn's face, a mixture of sympathy and disappointment, before the door clicked shut.

"So, what's the plan?" Kurt asked, spinning around to face Blaine.

Blaine placed his hands either side of Kurt's face, leant forward and kissed him. Kurt kissed back, tightening his arms around Blaine, pulling him closer.

"What was that for?" Kurt asked when they broke apart, somewhat breathless, the corners of his mouth pulling up into a smile.

"I don't know," Blaine laughed gently. "I just… I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

Kurt could practically see the tiredness in Blaine's eyes being replaced with that lovesick look he so often wore.

"Anyway, I thought we could walk around a little bit, and then maybe go to Breadstix or somewhere before heading home." Blaine weaved his fingers through Kurt's, and together they headed off slowly along the road. Blaine looked at Kurt, at the outline of his face against the sky, the way his mouth moved when he spoke, and knew he couldn't keep Kurt out any longer.

Tonight. Tonight he'd tell him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **Persistent Ticks**  
>Pairing: <strong>Kurt/Blaine**  
>Rating: <strong>PG-13, just to be safe.

Summary:

Blaine discovers a lump. Is it cancer? And how does he tell Kurt?

**Chapter 4 **

Night had just about fallen, and Kurt and Blaine were strolling up the Anderson's driveway.

"Oh, come on, Blaine," Kurt protested. "_Romeo and Juliet_ is toxic. The only reason they're together is because they're naively excited by the prospects of forbidden love."

"What about you? Falling for the leading member of an opposing Glee club," Blaine widened his eyes and opened his mouth in a mock 'o' of surprise. Kurt stared at Blaine, eyebrows raised, silently judging him. They were nearly at the front door now.

"You have to admit it's kind of sweet." Blaine continued. He turned and plucked a deep red carnation from a nearby flowerbed, and held it dramatically in front of him as he spoke. "_What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet_."

Kurt tried to remain serious, which wasn't easy, a smile tugging relentlessly at the corners of his mouth. With a roll of his eyes he gave up, took the flower and clutched it to his chest, exaggerated each movement. "'_This bud of love by summer's ripening breath, may prove a beauteous flower when next we meet_.'"

"That rhymed!" Blaine grinned. "We could do it, you know. Be the modern Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Romeo."

Kurt tucked the carnation behind Blaine's ear and cried out in a British accent, "Oh, Romeo, where art thou? Pick up thou cell phone!"

"Romeo! Why dost thou call?"

"Romeo, I'm running away to be with you!"

"Oh, Romeo, how romantic!" Blaine cried, lifting Kurt off his feet and spinning around. "Let us live happily ever after!"

Kurt laughed - at Blaine's ridiculous grin, at the flower behind his ear, at the childish innocence of the game. Blaine lowered Kurt to the ground, but kept his arm around his waist, and opened the front door. The two stumbled inside together, giggling like idiots, each laughing more the more the other laughed.

"Blaine, what on earth are you doing?" Mr Anderson said from the other end of the hallway, his eyes burning. "Get that thing off your ear. Boys don't play with flowers."

Blaine snatched at the carnation and held it behind his back, bowing his head. "Sorry, Dad."

"Oh, you're back," Mrs Anderson said with a warm smile, bumping her suitcase down the stairs. "We thought we might miss you. How was dinner?"

"It was lovely, thanks," Kurt said, smiling back.

"Sweetie, are you sure you're okay with us leaving?" She asked Blaine, concern growing on her face. "We can cancel with the hotel if you want, it's-"

"No, Mom, it's fine," Blaine replied, trying to force a smile.

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Come on, Jen, you heard the boy. Let's leave them to it," Mr Anderson huffed, pulling his own suitcase past the boys and out the front door.

"Oh ignore him, he's just worried we'll miss the train," she replied, waving her hand dismissively. "Sorry we can't stay and chat, it was lovely seeing you, dear," she kissed Kurt's cheek and was gone, the door banging shut behind her. With the light from the streetlights gone the hallway was dark, eerily silent. _That's not fair. Things were going so well, _Blaine thought. But sadness always came back around. _T__hese zombies in the park are looking for my heart._

"Blaine…" Kurt whispered after a long pause.

"Just leave it," Blaine replied, hurrying into the front room collapsing face down onto the sofa. He pushed his face into a pillow, groaning in frustration. Kurt noticed the flower on the floor, trodden into the carpet, and carefully picked it up. He followed Blaine, flicked on the light, and perched on the edge of the sofa next to his boyfriend.

"Hey," Kurt said softly, gently stroking Blaine's hair. Blaine twisted to look at Kurt, his eyebrows pulled together to disguise the hurt in his eyes. "Don't let him ruin this weekend, okay? It's just us now. We've got all night. So you know what we're going to do? We're going crack open a tub of Ben and Jerry's, and drink some cocoa with the little marshmallows in while we're waiting for it to soften up a bit. We'll close the curtains and turn out the lights, and we're going to get a blanket, curl up on the sofa and watch _The Breakfast Club._"

Blaine's expression softened into a smile. "I love you."

Kurt leant forward and gently pressed his lips to Blaine's forehead. "I know. I love you, too."

Blaine watched him head out into the kitchen, listened for the click of the kettle and the crunching of ice in the freezer. Once again, Kurt had lifted him out of a funk as easily and naturally as breathing. _Maybe tonight's not the night,_ Blaine thought, _maybe I shouldn't ruin it by telling him just yet._

Rachel picked up a remote and television clicked off with a flash. With her legs crossed, she turned to face Finn. He'd been staring a little left of the screen for almost half an hour, and Rachel had noticed.

"Finn?"

His attention shifted to her.

"What's the matter? You seem really quiet."

"I'm always quiet around you. Generally I just let you do all the talking."

"I know, but there's something else this time. You know you can tell me anything."

"I've just been thinking that, maybe we should be out doing something instead of sitting around watching _Rent_." He said with a slight shrug, averting his gaze.

"Well that's because we just finished watching _Pay it Forward_. You know that always makes you want to change the world."

"No, it's not that, it's because-" He caught himself just in time, but Rachel's eyes were boring into him. He sighed, knowing it would probably be easier to just tell her now. She'd force it out of him eventually. And did it really matter if she knew? Blaine was going to have to tell Kurt soon anyway.

"Blaine has cancer," he said quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: **Persistent Ticks**  
>Pairing: <strong>Kurt/Blaine**  
>Rating: <strong>PG-13, just to be safe.

Summary:

Blaine discovers a lump. Is it cancer? And how does he tell Kurt?

**Chapter 5**

Sunlight filtered in through the closed curtains, leaving a square of pale yellow on the striped wallpaper. Kurt's eyes opened slowly to a blurry view of Blaine's bedside table. He blinked and a picture of himself came into view. Without turning his head he could tell the door was open, sizzling sounds and the smell of pancakes drifting up from the kitchen. A few feet in front of his face, Kurt could see the lit up screen of his cell phone shining through the pocket of his jeans, crumpled up in the floor.

He reached forward, his arm leaving the cushion of warmth that had formed beneath the sheets, and extracted his phone.

We need to talk ASAP, Rachel x

He texted back, his fingers fumbling from his sleepiness.

Not right now, I'm busy x

A few seconds later she replied;

_Kurt_.

Kurt slid his phone onto the bedside table, crawled begrudgingly out of bed and got dressed. Blaine was whistling downstairs. Kurt tiptoed silently down the staircase, through the hallway, and stopped at the kitchen door, folding his arms and leaning against the frame.

Blaine was stood at the stove, facing away from Kurt, pouring another batch of pancake patter into a frying pan. His hair was wet from the shower, the curls just beginning to settle back in. After a while Kurt stepped forward, no longer keeping his footsteps quiet, and wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist.

"Do you always cook in your underwear?" He asked, resting his chin on Blaine's bare shoulder.

"Only when I'm alone."

Kurt smiled. He'd always believed that people were different versions of themselves depending on who they were with, and that they were only really 'themselves' when they were alone. One of the reasons he loved Blaine so much was that he truly believed Blaine was exactly the same alone as he was around Kurt. Kurt pressed his lips to the space just below Blaine's ear, then again a few inches further down his neck.

"I can't wait until we're living together." Blaine said quietly, his voice deep and soft.

"Me neither."

They stood together for a while, until Blaine flipped the pancake and said, "I didn't mean to wake you up. I was going to bring breakfast up to you."

"Oh, don't worry, you didn't. It wasn't you, Rachel texted me. She, uh… needs to see me. Urgently."

Blaine added the pancake to the pile and turned around to face Kurt, his expression a mixture of hurt and disappointment. Kurt said he'd stay with him all day. He'd planned everything. Then panic rose inside him. He couldn't let Kurt go, not yet. Not until he knew everything.

"I'll stay for breakfast," Kurt assured him quickly, moving his hands to Blaine's arms. "And I'll come back as soon as I'm done. I'll be an hour, tops. You won't even know I was gone. Do you mind?"

Blaine bit his lower lip. _Okay,_ he thought, _okay, I can make this work. I'll just tell him when he gets back, no big deal._ Everything would be just as he'd anticipated, only an hour or so behind schedule. Kurt could survive another hour without knowing. It even gave Blaine a little more time to prepare. "Okay," he sighed.

Kurt tucked his finger under Blaine's chin and kissed him softly. "I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you."

* * *

><p>"This better be worth it, Miss Berry, because I just left my rather perfect and underdressed boyfriend to come and see you. So what is it?" Kurt sat on the bed, beside Rachel.<p>

She sat up quickly. "Wait, you were just with Blaine?"

"Yeah, why?" Kurt asked, a frown creasing his porcelain forehead.

"Did he tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Rachel bit her lip and twisted her hands together. "Oh, maybe I shouldn't say anything. It's not really my place and maybe he's going to tell you soon. On the other hand maybe he isn't and you won't know until it's too late," she got to her feet and paced back and forth in front of Kurt. "And you should know, you definitely should know. And Blaine should be the one to tell you but if he won't do it then does it really matter if you hear it from me?" She stopped pacing and grabbed Kurt's hands. "It's just that Finn told me last night and I can't keep it in any-"

"Rachel, slow down," Kurt spoke over her, squeezing her hands. "What's going on with Blaine?"

Her eyes widened, for the first time she was seeing past the need to tell Kurt and thinking about what the news meant for him. But he had to know. He had to. "He's dying."

* * *

><p>Rain slapped against the windscreen of Kurt's car. He was driving faster than he should have been, his need to leave Rachel's and get back to Blaine's drowning out his common sense. Tears stung in his eyes and sobs clutched at his throat, making it hard to breathe.<p>

"_Stupid," _he whispered to himself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." He'd trusted Blaine. With everything. Never lied, never kept things from him. _How could I be so naïve? _He cursed himself, furious that he'd been so taken in. "_'Blaine's completely honest with me, he doesn't pretend to be someone he's not.'"_ He said in a fake, self-mocking voice._ "_Idiot!" He smacked the steering wheel.

He pulled into Blaine's driveway, got out of the car and stormed into the house.

"Hey, Kurt," Blaine said as soon as he heard the front door open. He came out of the kitchen, into the hallway, pulling off a pair of oven mitts. "I made cookies. Well, one big cookie, but I-"

Kurt slammed the front door, cutting him off. Blaine froze, his face fallen, as Kurt surged forward and slapped him hard across the face.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: **Persistent Ticks**  
>Pairing: <strong>Kurt/Blaine**  
>Rating: <strong>PG-13, just to be safe.

**Summary:** Blaine discovers a lump. Is it cancer? And how does he tell Kurt?

**Chapter 6**

"Kurt?" Blaine held his hand to his cheek, his eyes fixed on Kurt, full of pain and confusion.

Kurt was shaking, his breaths coming in little gasps, the fingers of one hand stinging. _What did I do? _He thought. _This isn't me. _But Blaine hadn't been being himself either. But that didn't give Kurt the right to act crazy.

The inside of Kurt's head was a mess. Half of him wanted to lash out again; the other half wanted to throw his arms around Blaine and never let go. He stayed frozen, wide eyes latched onto Blaine's face, hurt evident in his expression.

_And I put that hurt there,_ Kurt thought.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked again.

"Finn told Rachel. That's what she wanted to talk to me about." Kurt said, by way of explanation. The confusion melted off Blaine's face, he lowered his hand, and took a step towards Kurt. "No, don't," Kurt said, edging backwards. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Blaine exhaled sharply through his nose, raising his arms briefly out to the side. "How could I? After everything you've been through, with your mum, then your dad, and with my eye-"

"Don't make this about me," Kurt shook his head. "It doesn't matter what's happened to me before, what matters is what's happening to you right now. How could you-… why would you let yourself-… were you ever going to tell me?"

"Yes," Blaine nodded his head vigorously. "Honestly, I was. I was going to tell you today, right after you got back from Rachel's. I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure I actually had it."

"You told Finn," Kurt's jaw clenched. He lowered his eyes, focussing hard on the carpet, willing himself not to cry. It wasn't fair. Blaine was too young, too good.

It was the car ride that had done it – the time between finding out and seeing Blaine. Kurt imagined a different scenario, in which he was back in the auditorium, listening to Blaine sing Cough Syrup, and this time, when the song ended, Blaine had told the truth. No matter how hard it would've been to hear that, Kurt knew it would be better than what he was feeling now, because they could've held on to each other. They could've been together at the hospital when Blaine got the news. They could've helped each other through it.

But Blaine had known for over a week, and Kurt had been forced to catch up in minutes.

Kurt blinked a few times, then looked up. Blaine's cheek was reddening, and Kurt thought about how he may have hurt Blaine, but Blaine had hurt him first.

Not that that made him feel any better.

"I didn't mean to, I ran into him at the hospital and I couldn't-"

"But _Finn_." Kurt interrupted, old feelings resurfacing. "I thought you understood how hard it was for me to have a dad who went to Finn first, but now my boyfriend, too?"

"What? Kurt, that's completely unfair!"

"Blaine, none of this is fair! It's not fair that I found out from Rachel. It's not fair that this happened to you. And it's not fair that everything was so perfect and now it's so _im_perfect. I'm sorry, Blaine, I have to go," Kurt said, his voice catching and breaking as he reached for the front door.

"Kurt. Kurt, wait-"

The door closed before Blaine could catch it. He rested his head and his open hands against the door, and let his eyes fall shut.

"Dammit," he hit his palm hard against the door.

This wasn't how it was meant to happen. He was meant to sit Kurt down and tell him gently, and they could talk it out together. The hardest part was supposed to be over by now.

He thought about how cough syrup may stop you from coughing, but coughing isn't the problem: The problem is the infection. Just like telling Kurt hadn't fixed anything, because telling him was never the issue, he'd just been focusing on that to distract from what was really bothering him.

* * *

><p>Kurt stopped his car just out of sight of Blaine's house and wiped his cheeks dry. He leant back and breathed deeply, trying to plan his next move.<p>

He couldn't go back to Blaine's just yet. He couldn't go home, because Finn was there. He didn't think he could stand to see Rachel either, or anyone else for that matter. Not Mercedes. Not Tina. Not Puck.

He steadily ruled people out, coming swiftly to the conclusion that no one would be able to make him feel better right now. _Except Blaine,_ the voice in his head reminded him. But he couldn't face Blaine just yet, he felt too terrible, to messed up. He knew his red handprint would probably still be set on Blaine's cheek, and he couldn't bear to think about that. Nor could he bring himself to think about the ca-

He couldn't see anyone. He couldn't think about anything. Rather quickly, Kurt found himself inching closer and closer towards violating his one rule – no alcohol. Then he could forget, just for one night.

The car rolled forwards, gently at first, then picking up pace as Kurt kept thinking _why not_, all the way to Scandals.

* * *

><p>Kurt perched on a stool at the bar, straight backed, head turning occasionally, on full alert. <em>Maybe this isn't such a good idea<em>, he thought. He was alone, far away from home, set on lowering his inhibitions. Crazy.

But then again, it had been a crazy day.

The bar tender ambled over, his tight black t-shirt leaving little to the imagination. Kurt barely looked at him, just for the half second it took to order a tequila – the first thing that popped into his head – then snapped back around, eyes scanning the room.

It was dark, the flashing lights not offering much in the way visibility. And loud. So loud that Kurt didn't hear his phone ringing in his pocket.

"_Hey, it's me… Blaine. I'm at your house, but you aren't. I'm looking for you everywhere Kurt, where are you? No-one's seen you since Rachel-… Please, just, call me back, okay?"_

"You got ID, kid?"

"Oh, um," Kurt patted down his pockets, at a loss of what to do, when someone appeared behind him, reaching over his shoulder with an ID.

"He's with me. Two beers, please."

Kurt turned and found himself face to face with Sebastian.

"_Kurt… Kurt, I'm so sorry. I screwed up. I know I should've told you. There wasn't a moment when I thought I was doing the right thing, and I'm sorry I didn't just man up and tell you but I-… I can't change that now. Argh, this is so hard. You know… this is the first relationship I've been in and… and now this is our first fight and I think it's a pretty big one but I don't… I don't know what to do. Please just… just tell me how to fix this, Kurt? How do I fix this?"_

The bartender glanced from the fake ID, to Kurt, and back again. Eventually, he shrugged, said, "My shift's nearly over, what's it matter?" and grabbed two glasses from a shelf behind him.

Kurt stayed silent while Sebastian paid and picked up the drinks, then the two of them headed away from the bar.

"What are you doing here? I don't usually see you." Sebastian said as they slid into a booth.

"Rough day," Kurt sighed, putting his head in his hands. Sebastian pushed a beer towards Kurt.

"_Kurt, I thought… I thought telling you would be the hardest thing I'd ever have to do. I just kept imagining your face when you heard the news and I couldn't… I don't know, I just… But that's not even the difficult bit. The difficult bit is now. The truth is, Kurt… I'm terrified. I didn't think I was but now I'm not focussed on telling you it's all I can think about. I'm not ready for this… dammit, now I'm crying… Kurt, I can't handle it, not on my own, I-… I need you. Please, come home."_

Kurt glanced uneasily at the drink for a second. _Oh, what the hell,_ he thought, and drank.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: **Persistent Ticks**  
>Pairing: <strong>Kurt/Blaine**  
>Rating: <strong>PG-13, because of bad words.  
><strong>Beta: <strong>fuckinggameofchess tumblr com

**Summary: **Blaine discovers a lump. Is it cancer? And how does he tell Kurt?

**Author's note: **Just so you know, I'm back at school now, so I'll be wrapping it up soon.

**Chapter 7**

Blaine was lying on the sofa, facing the ceiling, his eyes closed, when his parents got home. At the sound of the door opening he shot up, his heart lurching into a gallop. "Kurt?" he called out expectantly.

"Only us!" His mom called back, and with a groan he sank into the sofa again. "Oh, darling, you look terrible!" Mrs Anderson said when she saw him. His eyes were sunken and blood shot, surrounded by dark circles.

"Couldn't sleep. Kurt's gone." He mumbled, burying his face in his hands. His mom sat him up and he told her what had happened – how he hadn't been able to tell Kurt; how Finn had found out; how Kurt had learnt the truth from someone else; and how no one had seen him since.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, he loves you. He'll come back." She kissed his forehead. "I'll make some coffee. It'll perk you up bit." She left, leaving Blaine alone with his dad. Their eyes met, and Blaine recognised the look on his dad's face. It was one he'd seen many times; one that he could read easily.

_Man up._

* * *

><p>The first thing Kurt did when he awoke was let loose a groan. He had a splitting headache; his tongue felt like sandpaper; the light from the window burned his eyes even when they were scrunched shut. <em>So you wanted to forget? <em>He asked himself. _Good job, genius._ His memory of the night before wasn't a blur – it didn't exist. He buried his face in the pillow, trying to get back to sleep, but his heightened sense of smell was telling him something.

That wasn't his pillow. And it wasn't Blaine's either.

His eyes opened wide and he pushed himself up to look around, the hangover taking a backseat for a moment. It was a fairly large room, with an en suite bathroom and a rather impersonal décor.

A blurry image arose from the fog of his memory: Sebastian doing body shots off some guy while a small crowd cheered him on.

Kurt's heart jumped into his mouth and his eyes opened impossibly further as his mind jumped to the worst conclusion. "No," he said quietly, his tongue feeling numb and alien in his mouth. "No no no no no no." His hand found its way clumsily under the covers and _yes, fully clothed._ "Oh, thank fuck for that." A figure stirred on a sofa at the end of the room, making Kurt jump. Kurt's mind worked quickly – Sebastian; clothed from the waist up _at least;_ on the sofa. Nothing happened, he concluded. He got really drunk and Sebastian let him sleep here instead of driving home. Kurt collapsed back onto the bed with relief before remembering whose bed it was.

He jumped to his feet, yanked on his shoes and headed straight for the door.

Kurt managed to find his way back to Scandals and climbed into his car. He gripped the steering wheel and took several deep breaths before pulling out of the parking spot.

Never. Never again would he touch alcohol. Evidently it led him to make bad decisions. _Not that you were making good decisions _before_ the drinking,_ the voice in his head reminded him, and his memories from the day before unlocked.

_Oh God_, he thought, _I was so selfish_. Blaine was sick. He was probably scared, too, and Kurt had left him. He'd left everyone.

He swore and dug his phone out of his pocket. He'd been gone all night without telling anyone.

"You have… five new messages," the robotic voice on his phone announced. He braced himself.

"_Hey, it's me… Blaine. I'm at your house, but you aren't. I'm looking for you everywhere Kurt, where are you? No-one's seen you since Rachel-… Please, just, call me back, okay?"_

Kurt winced and gripped the steering wheel harder, his knuckles turning white.

"_Hey, Kurt, it's your dad. It's past your curfew. Better be on your way home._"

He groaned as new guilt poured directly into his stomach. His dad was sick, too. He could really do without the panic and fear of a missing child. The next message was similar, but slightly more aggravated. Then there was another from Blaine.

"…_Kurt, I can't handle it, not on my own, I-… I need you. Please, come home."_

Hearing Blaine's voice so broken cut straight through Kurt, and by the time the message ended his cheeks were streamed with tears. Blaine was begging – _begging_ - and Kurt hadn't even picked up the phone. His stomach twinged when he thought about how Blaine must've been feeling. Alone. Abandoned by his own boyfriend when he probably needed him most.

The last message was from Blaine too.

"_Hey, it's me again. I'm getting really worried now, Kurt. We all are. I just wanted you to know that I'm at the hospital so you might not be able to get hold of me for a while… you know, if you wanted to. I just… let me know what you're thinking, Kurt, please. I'm going crazy over here."_

* * *

><p>Blaine pulled his phone out one more time before heading out of the waiting room. Still nothing. He was becoming more and more worried with each passing moment. Maybe Kurt wasn't ignoring him. Maybe he'd been in an accident and <em>couldn't<em> call him back. He could have lost his phone. Maybe he was somewhere in the hospital and no one knew who he was yet so they couldn't contact anyone.

_Stop it,_ he told himself sharply. Worrying wasn't helping anyone. He had to focus on himself for just a moment – he had to get that thing cut out. _Then_ he could put all his energy into finding Kurt.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: **Persistent Ticks**  
>Pairing: <strong>Kurt/Blaine**  
>Rating: <strong>PG-13, just to be safe.  
><strong>Beta: <strong>fuckinggamesofchess tumblr com****

**Summary: **Blaine discovers a lump. Is it cancer? And how does he tell Kurt?

**Chapter 8**

Blaine's side still felt numb as he climbed out of the car. The doctor had injected something into him, and cut the lump out with a scalpel. Simple as that. Practically painless.

But his insides still ached.

He checked his phone again, and let out a sigh at the lack of messages.

"Don't worry, Blaine," his mom said as she unlocked the front door. "It's still early. He just needs time to get used to the idea."

Blaine nodded, but still seemed distracted. Kurt wasn't normally like this, he was usually so calm and mature. Blaine couldn't stop thinking that he must've really shaken Kurt up. He headed straight to his room to take a nap, hoping that when he woke up there would be good news. He opened the door, dropped his bag, and put his phone on the desk before looking up.

And there he was. With a small, sad smile, his head tilted to the side, standing in front of the bed. A bouquet in his hands, his hair a mess, wearing the same clothes as yesterday. Very unusual for him, but he was here. He was back.

"Kurt," Blaine whispered, overcome with relief. He rushed forward and pulled Kurt into a tight embrace. Kurt returned the gesture. He'd been waiting for almost half an hour, biting his nails, trying to think, to organise his thoughts, but it hadn't felt the same until right now. Now Blaine was back it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from Kurt's shoulders, and now he was free to concentrate, to slow the voices in his mind. He noticed the pressure of Blaine's hands on his back, the way Blaine smelt, the way he turned his face into Kurt's neck.

"I'm so sorry," he said, his voice coming out slightly warped by the lump in his throat.

"Oh, I don't care," Blaine replied, a grin splitting his face as he gave Kurt a gentle squeeze. "I'm just glad you're back."

Kurt laughed weakly, sniffed back tears and pulled away just enough to look at Blaine. "How did your hospital appointment go?"

"Fine," Blaine shook his head, still grinning. "Just fine. It's out, they took it out. We'll know for sure I'm clear in a few days."

Kurt couldn't believe it. It was all over so quickly, he'd barely had time to notice. He wondered how much of that was down to not remembering the previous night and his smile slipped off his face.

"What's wrong?"

"I… I have to be honest with you. About where I was last night."

Blaine sensed all kinds of things in Kurt's voice. Regret. Shame. But honesty, too. He stepped back, retracting his arms from around Kurt, convinced that something bad had happened. It had to be something bad, something big, or Kurt wouldn't bother to bring it up. Not now, at least.

Kurt clasped his hands together in front of him, eyes down, unable to bring himself to look at Blaine now Sebastian was all he could think about. "When I left here, I was all over the place. I wasn't thinking straight, and I ended up… I ended up going to Scandals. And… Sebastian was there." Blaine was looking at Kurt like he'd already assumed the worst, so Kurt finished quickly, the words tumbling over each other. "And I was too drunk to drive so he let me sleep at his house and he was on the sofa and nothinghappenedBlaineIpromise."

Silence. Blaine swallowed, his jaw clenching. "Sebastian?"

"Blaine-" Kurt stepped forward, reaching out.

"That bastard." He turned and headed down the stairs, Kurt following close behind.

"Blaine. Blaine, please, nothing happened, you don't-"

"That doesn't mean he didn't try anything." Blaine grabbed his keys and stormed outside. "Where does he live? I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind." He pulled himself into the driver's seat of his mom's car, but Kurt wouldn't let him close the door.

"He didn't do anything, he doesn't matter. He's nothing."

"Where does he live?" Blaine repeated, yelling this time, his face turning red, nostrils slightly flared.

"Blaine, stop it, you're scaring me."

"And you scared me!" Blaine shouted, then deflated suddenly when Kurt recoiled. He leant his head back, breathed out deeply, all traces of anger gone from his face. "I didn't know what to think. He knows how strongly I care about you, he would've known I'd be going out of my mind worrying. You were upset, and with reason. I'm not mad at you. But he had the time and sense to tuck you in but not to call me and tell me where you were? _Fuck,_" Blaine hit the wheel hard, setting off the horn.

"Honey?" Kurt placed his hand on Blaine's forearm. "He stopped me getting into bigger trouble. If he wasn't there I might have tried driving home and that would have ended much worse." They looked at each other and Kurt smiled. He'd left out the point that Sebastian was the only reason Kurt had been able to drink at all, but Blaine didn't need to know that. There had been enough honesty in the last couple of days. "I have to go," he said regretfully. "I'm grounded. Dad's really pissed at me. Well, partly he's pissed at me, partly at the cops. Apparently they're completely useless. Who would've guessed?"

Blaine laughed once and hung his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Come here," Kurt said as he smiled and opened his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: **Persistent Ticks**  
>Pairing: <strong>Kurt/Blaine**  
>Rating: <strong>PG-13, just to be safe.  
><strong>Beta: <strong>fuckinggameofchess tumblr com

**Summary: **Blaine discovers a lump. Is it cancer? And how does he tell Kurt?

**Author's note: **Chapters 9 and 10 were supposed to be one, but it was really long and 10 is a nice number.

**Chapter 9**

"No. No, absolutely not." Mr Anderson paced the living room floor, his hands making slashing movements in front of him. "You're too young, you don't know what you want yet."

"Dad, I do. I _know_." Blaine said, with growing irritation. He was sat on the couch beside his mom and looked to her, slightly exasperated. "I know you still hope this is just a phase but it's not. Kurt's everything that matters to me."

"No," Mr Anderson said again, firmly, as he turned to face Blaine. "Look. I can't tell you how happy I am that you're clear, and I understand you're feeling the need to grab life by the horns. But there's no way I'm going to let this happen."

"Let this-?"

"Quiet," he snapped, and turned to his wife. "What do you think about this, dear?"

Mrs Anderson's eyebrows rose. Her hands were folded on her lap, her jaw clenched, eyes fixed with a frightening ferocity on her husband. "What do I think?" Her voice was strong and full of daggers, every one of them aimed at Mr Anderson. "Well, I'm glad you asked." She stood up and walked towards her husband, jabbing her finger at him. "I think I'm sick of pretending I don't hear your little _remarks._ I think it's about time we acknowledged that you're homophobic. And I think Blaine should be allowed - and _encouraged -_ to go after what makes him happy."

For a long, breathless moment Blaine watched his Dad stare, dumbfounded, at his wife. Then it all started again.

"Jen, you're being ridiculous. Of course he should be happy, but this isn't the way to go about it!"

"No?"

"No."

"And what makes you think you know what makes Blaine happy better than he does? When was the last time you had decent, in depth conversation with him?"

"I don't need to talk about it; I'm not standing for this! It's not natural!"

The room was struck by another pause, during which Mrs Anderson's eyes widened and she leant back slightly. Blaine's stomach felt like it was about to fall out of his butt. All was silent for a few breaths.

"Natural?" Mrs Anderson said eventually, like she couldn't believe it. "Natural?" She was speaking in a tone that Blaine had never heard before, but one that was pushing Mr Anderson back, and down. "Get out," she snapped, her hand whipping out to the side, her index finger extended towards the door.

"Jen, don't, you're overreacting. Let's talk about this."

Blaine had never seen his dad beg before.

"There's nothing to talk about. I want you out."

Another terrible silence. Blaine's parents stared at each other, his mom's arm still outstretched, his dad slowly caving until, head bowed, he grabbed his coat and left.

Blaine's mom exhaled deeply, placing her hands on her hips, and turned to face him. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"Yeah. Mom, you didn't have to-"

"Oh, shush. It's about time, anyway." She smiled sadly, sitting down and putting an arm around his shoulder. "Things haven't been right for a long time, but that was the last straw." She kissed the top of Blaine's head. It was shaping up to be a fairly eventful day.

* * *

><p>Mr Schuester took to the floor and the familiar chatter died down. "Hey guys. I hope you all had a great weekend, but we need to stay focussed. National's is right around the corner and we need to be prepared." He said as he handed out lyric sheets.<p>

"Um… Mr Schue?" Blaine raised his hand. "Before we get started, can I make a quick announcement?"

"Go ahead."

Will took a seat at the side of the room and Blaine stood and faced the others. They watched him with rapt curiosity, the intrigue most evident on Kurt's face than anyone else's. "I'm sure you've all heard by now about my… predicament." There were a few sympathetic nods and averted glances. News had travelled fast, and each person was conscious of the fact they weren't supposed to know. "But I got a call from the hospital this morning and… it's official. I'm clear." He let out a laugh, his face bursting into a grin. A couple of the others gasped, some cheered, some applauded. Blaine watched Kurt as his hand clamped over his mouth. Kurt's eyes widened, then crinkled at the sides when he smiled. He got to his feet and stepped forward to pull Blaine into a tight embrace.

"Are you busy after school?" Blaine asked after a little while. "I want to take you somewhere."


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: **Persistent Ticks**  
>Pairing: <strong>Kurt/Blaine**  
>Rating: <strong>PG-13, just to be safe.  
><strong>Beta: <strong>fuckinggameofchess tumblr com & HB

**A/N: **Well this it. Thanks for reading this far, hope you enjoyed it. I'm going to miss writing this, but I'm planning to write a sequel in the beginning of June, when my exams are finished, so it's not over yet.

**Summary: **Blaine discovers a lump. Is it cancer? And how does he tell Kurt?

**Chapter 10**

Hand in hand, Blaine pulled Kurt through the hallways of Dalton Academy. The place was near silent, just the sounds of their footsteps and someone hovering in the distance. Simply being here took Blaine back to the times he'd spent here with Kurt. Everything before that was obsolete.

He glanced over his shoulder. Kurt was running just enough to keep up, his eyes moving all around the huge white corridors, up at the high ceilings. Blaine could see the questions on his boyfriend's face before they reached the open air, but didn't answer. The weight of being back here pushed down hard, silencing the words before they were made.

Then Blaine found it, and the last year of his life flashed before his eyes in reverse. Kurt finding out about the cancer. Moving to McKinley to be with Kurt. Their first time. Sitting in the coffee shop and telling Kurt he loved him. Prom. Singing on stage together, with the warblers behind them. Pavarotti's funeral. Their first kiss. Escaping Karofsky. Meeting on the staircase.

And here they were, back again. Blaine glanced at Kurt and knew he recognised where they were. They were right at the beginning.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked, his voice quiet in the vast hallway.

"There's something I have to say."

He took a deep breath, faint trembles running down his spine. Not nerves. Not fear. Just a hopeful kind of excitement.

"The last few weeks… have been rough. Watching Finn and Rachel plan their wedding, and the way it was on-again, off-again and… and them taking it so lightly… it really got to me. Because I knew that while they were rushing into things and taking it for granted, we can't have that. And marriage is something that I would never throw around. I knew that it wasn't really an option for us, but I always believed that it would be, one day.

"But… It's so hard to wait for something like that when you're convinced you won't last that long. Finding out I had cancer was… In the moment I was told, I was so devastated about not being able to have our chance at a life together that I nearly gave up completely. But then came the best news I could have hoped for: it was treatable. And now… well now it's gone completely. Some people aren't so lucky, and they only have a few years to give, but not me. I'm free tospend my life with you, and I can give you a lifetime.

"I've imagined this over and over in my head, wondering what I'd say and where I'd say it and how you'd react. But no matter how many times I went over everything I wanted to say to you, I never knew where to begin. So I thought… why not start at the beginning? So here we are, back where it all began.

"This is it for me, Kurt. This is where my life started. And even back then, when I first saw you, there was something about you that I… I knew, then, that I had to get to know you. And since then I've been so much stronger and happier than I ever could've dreamed of being without you. You are my inspiration, my safety, my dream. You are my home. And maybe one day, if I'm lucky, I'll be able to call you my husband.

"This is where my life changed, and I'm hoping you'll change it again. Kurt Hummel…" He pulled a small box out of his pocket as he dropped onto one knee, and as he opened it he said, "Will you marry me?"

Kurt's breath caught in his throat.

He'd imagined this happening, but he never expected it to be so soon. They were so young – Blaine was even younger than Finn, and Kurt had been trying to talk Rachel out of getting married so young. She'd asked what he'd do if Blaine proposed, but it wasn't the same, was it? Finn and Rachel had problems. Kurt was meant to be with Blaine, he knew it, so why did age matter? It was going to happen anyway.

Kurt knew he was taking too long. Blaine looked up at him anxiously and began to rise. The answer should've been right on the tip of tongue but his head was a whirring mess he couldn't make sense of.

It was his dream to go to New York, to make a life for himself there, and Blaine couldn't join him yet. Not for a year. But what's a year when compared to a life time? Sure. New York was the future that had come knocking on Kurt's door: He belonged on Broadway. Occasionally he'd picture himself ten years from now, bowing alongside fellow cast members, the audience getting to their feet. But always, he imagined the future-Kurt going home to Blaine. They'd cook together and fall asleep in each other's arms and in the morning Blaine would come tumbling down the stairs, late for work, a bow tie hanging undone around his neck. And Kurt would stop him and tie it up and kissed Blaine and behind them their son or daughter would make barfing noises because _gross, dads kissing._ He wanted every day to be like that, because in every instance he was so undeniably _happy_.

But there were no words that said that so he just said "Blaine," and rushed forward into his arms. Kurt could feel Blaine shivering and tightened his grip, whispering in Blaine's ear, "Yes, of course I will."

"Yes?" Blaine cried, pulling back to look at Kurt, a grin splitting open his face. Kurt just nodded, with an uncontrollable smile of his own, and let Blaine slip the ring onto his finger. Blaine laughed, lifted Kurt off the floor and spun him around. There had never been a moment with so much to live for.

_The End._


End file.
